Students and staff protest against lecturer's race views

The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Wednesday March 22 2006 The University of Leeds has asked us to make it clear that it has not rejected the possibility of disciplinary action against the lecturer Frank Ellis referred to in the article below. It says the university fully acknowledges its obligations to promote and protect diversity and equality of opportunity at the university, which was made clear in the report originally filed.

The campaign against a university lecturer who claims that black people and women are genetically inferior is spreading to campuses around the country following a demonstration in Leeds yesterday.

Frank Ellis, a lecturer in Russian and Slavonic studies, sparked anger after stating he was an "unrepentant Powellite" who thought the BNP was "a bit too socialist" for his liking.

In a row that has reignited the debate about academic freedom, Mr Ellis said he supported rightwing ideas such as the theory developed by Richard J Herrnstein and Charles Murray in their 1994 book, The Bell Curve, which claims that white people are more intelligent than black people. He also told the Leeds Student newspaper that women did not have the same intellectual capacity as men and that repatriation would get his support if it was done "humanely".

Yesterday more than 300 students and staff gathered in Leeds to call for him to be sacked and campaigners said the struggle was picking up momentum at other universities. Hind Hassan, treasurer of Unite Against Fascism at Leeds University, said: "This is a fight that is going to go on and on until we get rid of this man. It has gone beyond an issue of freedom of speech or academic freedom and now directly impinges on the rights of students to live and work in a safe and tolerant environment. How can female students or those from ethnic minorities possibly get a fair educational experience?"

Students from several universities attended the rally. Shaheed Fazal, who travelled from Warwick University, said: "It is completely inappropriate for a lecturer in his position to push these views."

Pav Aktar, NUS anti-racism organiser, said the campaign was gathering national momentum. "For someone in a senior position to validate racist and fascist opinions on campus represents a real danger to all students, not just those at Leeds."

Leeds University secretary Roger Cair, one of its senior administrators, has resisted calls for Mr Ellis to be sacked, although he said the views expressed were abhorrent to most staff and students. Staff had the freedom within the law to question and test received wisdom and put forward controversial or unpopular opinions without placing themselves in jeopardy of losing their jobs, he said.

But he added: "We would expect such academic freedom to respect the university values and to be exercised within their context. We are deeply distressed that this expectation has not been met in opinions attributed to Dr Ellis."

Last night Mr Ellis told the Guardian he had been gagged by the university. Five years ago he hit the headlines when he spoke at the American Renaissance conference in the US, which attracts figures from organisations like the Ku Klux Klan.